You can’t visit Park City without feeling the silver mining history; it’s practically dripping from the walls of the historic buildings downtown, with the mountains emerging right behind them filled with the remnants of the 1,000 miles of mines that put this town on the map. The Park City Museum details and preserves the timeline of yesteryear, outlining in an impressive display what it was like to be a miner shortly after silver, lead, zinc and gold were discovered in Park City in 1868. Step back in time and see the perils of mining in the 1870s – dissenters of the harsh labor conditions were often jailed, and estimates range as high as 1 in 3 miners facing serious injury every time they went below the surface. Several rich claims were purchased, perhaps the most famous being the Ontario claim, bought by George Hearst in 1872 and paving the way for the vast Hearst fortune. The Ontario claim was the last silver mine to close in 1982, with six shafts that led nearly 3,000 feet below the surface. Today, the glitzy Egyptian Theater, born out of America’s King Tut obsession in the 1920s, stands downtown as the centerpiece of the Sundance Film Festival, which moved to Park City in 1981. Sundance is one of the largest film festivals in the world, taking place in late January every year and attracting major filmmakers and actors from all over the world. Stroll downtown and you’ll see people fresh off the mountain and dressed up revelers alike, all celebrating in the downtown’s numerous bars, restaurants and aprés-ski nightlife venues.

About the Author

About the Author: Pat Barcas serves as staff writer and photographer for RTX Traveler Magazine, based in Asheville, NC. His favorite RTX destinations are on the beach: Orange Beach, Alabama, New Smyrna Beach, Florida, and Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. More from this author.

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